Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said with the Centre announcing seven per cent increase in DA, her government had decided to provide a similar hike in the basic pay of its employees and teachers. The additional expenditure would be Rs 1443.50 crore annually on the exchequer, she said in a statement here.

She extended the benefit to pensioners from the aforesaid categories also and said the hike will be paid in cash with retrospective effect from July 1, 2012.